Second Generation

2. James FERGUSON of Pitfour, son of James FERGUSON and Anne STUART of Crichie, was born in 1700. He had the title '2nd of Pitfour'. He married Anne MURRAY on 3 February 1733 in Aberlady. He died on 25 June 1777 in Woolmet.

Lord Pitfour was an eminent councillor at law (a Lord of Session and Justiciary) highly distinguished for his probity, integrity, and knowledge of his profession. He was also Commissioner of Justiciary. He was created Lord Pitfour in 1764.

3. Anne MURRAY, daughter of Alexander MURRAY 4th Lord Elibank and Elizabeth STIRLING, was born on 20 September 1708. She died on 2 January 1793.

From a letter to her brother, General Jon. James Murray:

"I have three girls, none of whom have any claims to the beauties of the body. Annie whom you visited in the Small Pox is of a low stature, and pretty much pitted without having her features altered by them. Betty is taller than I am, genteel enough and when in here good looks is thought by strangers to have a resemblance to my Sister Jannie; Jeanie who is of Annies size is in point of looks middling, but for a soul and genious I'll sett her loose with any she that ever stept in petticoats, she had cost me more trouble than all the rest, for her genious bewitched me, and some times got the better of my reason. But now, after Hunting, Riding, Shooting and Latin, I have got her brought to a moderate use of her needle, which with a little musick, bowling and chess, which I indulge her in, makes her turn out a good decent girl of sixteen. As to her dancing, its the Horn Pipe she excells in; but I must not conclude without assuring you that they are modest, virtuous girls, uncapable of lying of falsehood, and just the reverse of some others that you'll remember.".

Third Generation

4. James FERGUSON, son of William FERGUSON of Badifurrow and Jean ELPHINSTONE of Logie, was born in 1672. He was a Sheriff-Depute of Aberdeenshire. He had the title '1st of Pitfou'. He died in 1734. He married Anne STUART.

5. Anne STUART of Crichie was born in 1669. She died in 1731. She and James FERGUSON had the following children:

6. Alexander MURRAY 4th Lord Elibank, son of Sir Patrick 3rd MURRAY 3rd Lord Elibank and Anna BURNET, was born on 9 March 1677. He was a 4th Lord Elibank. He had the title '4th Lord Elibank'. He married Elizabeth STIRLING in February 1698. He died on 6 February 1735.

Sir Alexander became 4th Lord Elibank on his father's death in 1686, when he was nine years old. He had 15 children of whom 5 sons and 5 daughters survived him.

As a matter of interest, the Lord of Elibank voted for the Union of the Scottish and English Parliaments in Edinburgh in 1706-1707. He also recieved ?0 for doing so. This information was stated by The Earl of Glasgow, on oath, and by David Nairne, Secretary Deputy of Scotland. What a price for Scotland's freedom!

Alexander and his family had many financial problems, and the depletion of the family fortunes to the Stuart coffers was further exacerbated by the Fourth Earl losing heavily in the South Sea Bubble. He wrote to his wife about this - "I am infinitely vexed that you should torment yourself so much, which I assure you is more galling to me than any misfortune that has yet befallen me. As I shall answer God I have never bought a farthing's worth of stock but that third subscription, nor you may depend upon it will I venture a groat more that way, for now the South Sea has fallen to its primitive 110 this day (it stood at 1,000 a few days previously) so that it seems now past all recovery; what parliament will be able to do with it I cannot tell".

At the time, the Scottish Nobility was also in a generally impoverished state, and so Elibank's situation was not by any means unique.

Alexander devoted much of his life to the (succesful) reform of agriculture in Scotland, and was a founder of the "Society of Improvers in the knowledge fo Agriculture in Scotland".

Alexander was clearly loved and respected by both friends and family, and his son Patrick wrote of him: "My father, Alexander, Lord Elibank, died of what the Phisicians called the gout in his stomach on the 6th of February, 1736, The following character was given him in the common newspapers - "He lived esteemed and beloved by men of all ranks and parties and his death is universally lamented. No man ever surpassed himin the practice of every social virtue, he was a fond Husband, and indulgent Parent, and an unalterable friend, and as he never had an enemy he never was accused or suspected of anyone. Never was there a juster character"".

7. Elizabeth STIRLING, daughter of George STIRLING, was born before 1683. She appeared in the census. She celebrated her Bar Mitzvah. She died on 11 November 1756.

Book: "The five sons of Bare Betty" by A.C, Murray:

Elizabeth, who married at 16, displayed form her early teens an independence of character which not infrequently led her into eccentricities, and hse handed on to her sons the traits she herslef possessed of vivacity and original wit in thoought, speech and action. In his "Scotland and Scotsmen" Ramsey tells us an intertesing and amusing anecdote. A somewhat rash Edinburgh minister when conducting "public examinations" referred to Miss Elizabeth as "Betty Stirling". This caused deep offence to the dignity of the young lady: "Mistress Betty" or "Miss Betty", she said in tones of scathing rebuke, was the style of address to which she was accustomed, but certainly not "bare Betty". Needless to say, after this incident, she was always known in Edinburgh and district as "bare Betty".

When a man, who was deeply in love with her, told her that he was ready to lay down his life for her sake, "Oh," she said, "I do not believe you would part with a little joint of your little finger for my whole body." Next day the gentleman returned, and presented her triumphantly with the joint of one of his little fingers. But he was dumbfounded when she gave him a peremptory refusal, "for," said she, "the man who has no mercy on his own flesh will certainly not spare mine."

But despite this mercurial turn "bare Betty had a tender side to her character, and was much beloved by all her family.

George MURRAY (1706-1785). George was born on 14 May 1706 in Aberlady. He was an Admiral in the Navy. He had the title 'Admiral, 6th Lord Elibank'. He married Isabella MCKENZIE on 8 January 1760. He died on [Julian] 12 November 1785 in Ballencrieff.

Alexander MURRAY (1712-1778). Alexander was born on 9 December 1712 in Ballencrieff. He was christened on 9 December 1712 in Aberlady. He was a Politician. He had the title 'Jacobite Earl of Westminster'. He died on 27 February 1778 in Taplow, Bucks.

James Patrick 1 MURRAY (1721-1794). James was born on [Julian] 21 January 1721 in Ballencrieff. He was a Governor General of Canada, General in the Army, Governor of Minorca, Governor of Hull, Warden of the Cinque Ports. He married Cordelia COLLIER in 1748 in London. He married Ann WHITHAM on 14 March 1780 in Minorca. He died on 18 June 1794 in Beauport, Hastings, Sussex.